One of the highlights of my early business career was the opportunity to film a training seminar in Albany with Tom Peters, co-author with Robert Waterman of the book "In Search of Excellence."

It was 1987, and Peters was riding a wave of fame. He owned a farm in Vermont and decided that Albany would be a good location to produce a training video that would be marketed worldwide.

Peters was a gracious but demanding host. He was a blur of activity and seemed to be in charge of everything. He was producer, cameraman, set designer and star performer. It was an intense day and a heady experience I will never forget.

Peters has continued to build a worldwide consulting and speaking career and has written many more books. He is featured in an article in the most recent issue of Fortune. The article properly points out that much of what shapes business today was influenced by Peters' book and its principal theme that empowering workers, encouraging innovation, and talking and listening to clients are important ingredients in business success.

Although this sounds routine today, in the early 1980s these concepts were revolutionary. Some business owners and industries still consider "humanism" in business too far out.

If we accept the fact that this human element is vital to business, then we must initiate the plans and programs to ensure that our company cultivates this environment and attracts and nurtures the human capital we need to compete and survive.

The Wall Street Journal recently reported on a two-year study by the Brookings Institution that showed clear connections between certain activities and long-term business success.

The first was the role of corporate communications. The report noted that the more management and owners involved employees at all levels in forming corpoate goals and in the budget and planning process, the greater the chances of success.

General Electric Co., no stranger to hardball corporate tactics, has said that its emphasis on so-called "360 degree communcation," or open dialogue throughout the company, and a renewed emphasis on quality, has had a significant positive effect on profitability.

Many progressive companies are looking for strategic ways to reduce workloads and thinking about helping employees balance work and family concerns. The goal is to achieve superior corporate performance.

Useless meetings and reports are being canceled. Employees are being encouraged to exercise their skills and ingenuity to get the job done.

Some companies are also reviewing relocation policies to ensure that an employee's family is not traumatized. An employee might be energized by a new job and new challenges, but often has to cope with a spouse and children unhappy to be away from family and friends. That kind of discord will soon contribute to poor performance on the job.

Some companies are carefully rethinking their corporate "culture" and discovering that a reputation for ruthless business tactics can make it hard to attract and retain talent. Many companies have designated high-level executives to review these issues and make strategic changes.

Companies have quantified the costs of high turnover, low morale, poor customer service and inconsistent communications, and found that investing in employees costs far less than correcting employee mistakes.

Yes, Peters is still running hard, promoting both the value of passion in the workplace and the emerging independence of knowledgeable workers. We owe a lot to his groundbreaking work. By putting his ideas into action, we can all improve our firms.